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Chapter 3
Aaron raced the horses through the hills, enjoying every second of it. Within the confines of having a job, in a very small way, exercising the horses in the mornings like this gave him the freedom and fun he craved.
He had even named one of the horses. Roderick, he had called him. He was the only brown steed in the bunch. His mane of hair had been the longest and silkiest out of all of them. In between his eyes extending down to his nose, he had a patch of white that was shaped like a pear. It was safe to say that Aaron had found a niche of happiness within his new job.
The pattering sounds of hooves hitting grass filled the area. The controlled chaos woke Aaron’s mind up naturally, whereas most in the town used coffee beans for that. It was moments like those that helped him to not care much about the future, for the current was perfect. Gone were the early concerns of taking the job, as the positive aspects were there. In its duller moments, he still did long for travel, but that would come one day. He was sure of it.
Aaron stopped at the top of a hill. The hill had become somewhat of a routine spot for him each morning. There was nothing better than reaching a certain elevation after a morning of exercising, not only the horses but his senses. To be high up, overlooking some of the town, with the wind at his back and the sun on his face. It made him feel bigger, free, and alive.
It was then that he heard the faint sound of footsteps making their way up the mountain. He didn’t have to turn around quickly as, judging by the pacing of the steps, he realized they were not the steps of a human but rather a horse. And the only other person riding with him that morning was Thomas. He had actually forgotten about him, given how slow he was to keep up. Aaron had learned rather quickly just how different he and Thomas were.
Aaron enjoyed staying up until the moon was in the middle of the sky. Thomas enjoyed going to sleep right after sundown. They were cut from very different clothes but had a mutual respect for one another. Aaron may have found himself laughing at Thomas’s lack of living on the wild side, but it was all in good fun. Aaron needed people like Thomas in his life. Without them, he’d be a complete mess.
“I must admit, I was frightened the entire time,” Thomas said while stopping his horse alongside Aaron. “You let these horses go faster than I ever have. Do you have no fear?”
Aaron laughed a hearty laugh. “And what is fear, Thomas? People do not realize that the meaning changes for everyone, yet everyone thinks the word means the same. My fear is dying without adventure. Whereas yours is dying too soon. You see how the meaning changes for both of us?” Aaron smiled a cocky smile at Thomas as the thoughtful man in his neatly put-together outfit digested Aaron’s words.
“You have a very unique way of looking at things, my friend. I do not know if I share in your values, but I admire them.”
Both of them began to travel the route back. The feeling of descending that hill for Aaron was not as fun as climbing it. For whatever reason, it always made him think about how he was getting older by the second. He may have joked with Thomas about not fearing much, but the more and more he thought about it, the more he realized that his number one fear was time. Time was something that held no mercy and ran faster than he could ever make the horses run. With so many plans to see every inch of the world, time seemed to make that notion feel impossible. He was constantly descending a hill of time.
“I have more curiosities aside from your lack of fears in the world. Your background still perplexes me greatly. Especially when it comes to working for Addison.”
What Thomas had been referring to was the fact that Aaron’s former employer Lady Addison Blake, Baroness of Oxton, allowed him to see the world for one year and take any type of employment his heart desired. That was when Aaron came across the job in Hardon.
“It may sound rather interesting,” Aaron began. “But there is not much to it, actually. I am not a complete loose cannon to have no stability in my life. Working for Addison is essentially my rock when I misjudge my capabilities in the world. Everyone needs that thing to fall back on. And, given our relationship, she has granted me leave for one year’s time to do whatever my pounding heart desires.”
Silence came from Thomas, but that was usual. He was a man who enjoyed carefully planning out his words before saying them, whereas Aaron enjoyed his freedom of tongue; just another way both of them differed in character. “But don’t you think it is rather strange that she only allowed you a year’s time. And if I’m correct, you have the right to quit and work wherever you so please. Why, being a man who enjoys his freedom so, commit to such requirements? It just doesn’t make any sense to me. You almost remind me of these horses. They are three times our size, could trample us with one kick, they enjoy their freedom and running, yet, they allow us to restrict them in everything.”
Aaron laughed. “I find it quite funny how much my life and values perplex you so. But please, do not concern yourself with my confusing arrangements in life. Addison has been quite good to me over the years. We have had our differences on varying levels, but in a lot of ways, I feel I owe a debt to her.”
“Ahhhh, so that’s it. You feel you owe her. Therefore, you bow to her odd rules.”
“Do not overstep your boundaries now, Thomas. We all owe a debt to somebody.”
“You are right. It’s not my place to bury my flag of opinion in the ground. I guess in my journey of understanding your values, the contradictions for me require another level of understanding.”
Aaron laughed again. “You know, when I first met you, I assumed that you were just a man fulfilling a job with no passion behind it whatsoever. Not that there’s anything wrong with that. But now I see that you need to understand things that differ from everything you believe in. And I have said enough of the Lady Addison for today.”
“Fair enough.”
The both of them continued to ride back on the horses, far slower than the way they came. As much as Aaron enjoyed things at a quick pace, the mix of the midday breeze along with the rustling of trees and birds chirping could relax anyone.
He was growing fond of Hardon in his short time so far in town. The hustle and bustle of the people that resided there had extended long past just a first impression for Aaron. That was their nature, and he enjoyed it; dare he think that he may have even fit in somewhat. In his mind, there were two ways of looking at his situation. Either a year could be a short amount of time, or it could be plenty of time. If Thomas had taught him anything, it was that perspective was everything.
With the lapse in conversation and the idling nature of their ride back, it was time that Aaron’s thoughts go back to that one special reason—her. He had not seen the brunette beauty since the day he accidentally accepted the position. But, even though his eyes lacked her presence, his mind surely did not. There was something about her that stuck to him like honey on a flower. Her beauty had been enough to distract him in a way that he wasn’t usually a victim to. And despite only seeing her once, he could imagine her face and every detail perfectly.
Where would a woman like her fit into a life like his? That was the other predominant thought that would usually follow once he thought about her. She didn’t have the same beauty as the women he usually encountered. Even all the women he had ever dated did not spark an interest as she did in those brief seconds. As problematic as that was, he was interested in it.
For a life like his, one where he was only in town for a year and one where he planned to scale the world in uncharted ways, did he even have room for a love interest? If she could stop his heart with just a glance, that was a pretty dangerous notion. It was dangerous in the sense that it threatened his values. Romance had a way of clouding judgment, ridding one of their passions and becoming an indirect set of shackles. And he would not allow himself to venture into its line of attack.
“The brunette that I saw the other day,” Aaron said, wishing that his mouth agreed more with the orders his brain served. “Remember I had pointed her out to you after taking the job?”
“Yes, the Earl’s daughter.”
“Right, actually what? You never told me that she was the Earl’s daughter…the man I work for.”
“I am pretty sure I did. Why do you sound so concerned over it? Have you slighted her in some way?”
